Asking for help can be difficult under the best of circumstances, but when you are in crisis, it may seem impossible. However, taking the step toward emotional healing can be life changing. Suffering from anxiety, depression, panic attacks, relationship issues, life transitions and trauma does not have to be a lifelong sentence.

The focus of trauma recovery is to help you create safety, develop internal and external resources, transform your relationship to past trauma, and create the conditions for optimal personal well-being. As your therapist, I will use my professional skills to the best of my ability to address your concerns and help manage possible risks.

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and have training in Image Transformation/Feeling State Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy and Somatic (Body) Experiencing that provide relief from overwhelming emotional dysregulation.

I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.

-----Carl Jung

How does trauma therapy work?

Trauma therapy works in three stages.

First, it is important to create safety and stabilization and to overcome emotional dysregulation. This means understanding the meaning of overwhelming body sensations, intrusive emotions and distorted beliefs.

The next stage is focused on overcoming the fear of traumatic memories so that they can be integrated.

In the third stage, work begins on decreasing shame and alienation, developing a greater capacity for healthy attachment and taking up personal and professional goals.

Many people go back and forth between these stages and because everyone is different, people progress at their own pace.

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is an anxiety disorder that some people get after seeing or living through a dangerous event. When in danger, it's natural to feel afraid. This fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to prepare to defend against the danger or avoid it. This "fight-or-flight" response is a healthy reaction meant to protect a person from harm. But in PTSD, this reaction is changed or damaged. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they are no longer in danger.

Anyone can get PTSD at any age. This includes war veterans and survivors of physical and sexual assault, accidents, disasters, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and many other serious events. Not everyone with PTSD has been through a dangerous event. Some people get PTSD after a friend or family member experiences danger or is harmed. The sudden, unexpected death of a loved one can also cause PTSD.

Debra Blizzard, M.Ed., LMHC ​​MH12005Psychotherapist ​

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Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea. Some people who have been traumatized can move on with their lives after a certain amount of time has passed even without therapy. However, some people cannot. Moreover, some people who have had long-term trauma, such as war veterans or victims of child abuse can suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).